MOST OF THE CURRENT Mount Allison Mounties were in elementary school the last time their team won a game at Saint Mary’s.

But the Mounties will have to do today what they haven’t done since Canadian Football Hall of Famer Eric Lapointe wore the garnet and gold in 1997 if they want a shot at an AUS football championship.

The Huskies host the Mounties today at 1 p.m. with the winner off to Acadia next Saturday for the Loney Bowl. The Axemen have the bye and home-field advantage for a second straight year after another 7-1 campaign.

Mount Allison hasn’t played Saint Mary’s in a playoff game since the Huskies beat them for the conference title in 1992.

The Huskies and Mounties both finished 3-5, but the Huskies get to play at home today based on a better point differential in their two games. Saint Mary’s won 43-7 in Halifax and the Mounties prevailed 25-12 in New Brunswick.

The Mounties — losers of 16 in a row to the Huskies in Halifax — know they’ll have to stop a powerful ground attack.

“They’ve got a dominant offensive line and some really talented running backs,” said Mount Allison head coach Kelly Jeffrey. “It seems to be somewhat of a tradition since I've been at Mount A that if you stop the run (against the Huskies) you stand a chance.”

Saint Mary’s will be without two key pieces today. Former MVP receiver/returner Jahmeek Taylor, the AUS career leader in punt return yards, was declared out with a leg injury early in the week and defensive lineman Rob Jubenville, the all-time sacks leader in the conference, has joined the inactive list with a nerve problem in his neck.

The Huskies gashed the St. Francis Xavier defence for 473 yards on the ground in a 49-3 win at home last Saturday to grab second place and avoid missing the post-season entirely. Melvin Abankwah ran for 206 yards and Mike Dawes 123.

In Mount A’s regular-season visit to Huskies Stadium, Abankwah had 208 yards on the ground as the Huskies totalled 312 rushing yards.

But Abankwah concedes the Mounties have given the Huskies trouble. In the loss at Mount A, the Huskies had to accept they got outworked.

“It’s a playoff game and records mean nothing,” said Abankwah. “Once again, we have to win or go home. But the momentum is at a high level right now.”

“They are a tough team and they play hard,” Huskies head coach Perry Marchese said of Mount A. “We’ve got a lot respect for how hard they play.”

Saint Mary’s will pass to keep defenders from cheating, but the Huskies key to success is run 40-50 times and play strong defence.

Jean Legault quarterbacked the Huskies last week, sending Drew Jacobson to the sidelines. Legault ran an efficient attack, throwing for a pair of majors, and will be back under centre today.

“He’s very smart,” said Marchese, who credited Legault for some strong play-calling on the fly last week. “He’s just a coach on the field.”

The Huskies defence will try to hound Mount A pivot Brandon Leyh. Saint Mary’s had 30 quarterback sacks in the regular season and Mount A allowed 31.

The Huskies kept opponents to a league-low 15.8 points per game in the regular season while the Mounties allowed 31.2. Saint Mary’s gave up 332 yards of offence while Mount A surrendered 428.

Saint Mary's kicker Brett Lauther could be a factor. Lauther made 16 field goals in 20 attempts this year while Mount A made only three of six.

The Mounties will rely on the legs of tailback Jordan Botel to keep the game close. Botel had 196 carries for 878 yards and seven majors in his first AUS season.

“We’re excited and there is no reason we can’t go there and play well and that’s the most important part,” Jeffrey said.